Patrick Reed and caddie Kessler
Karain cross the Sarazen Bridge
on the 16th hole during the final
round of the 2018 Masters

AFP/Getty Images

Catch Me If
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HK GOLFER・MAY 2018

“Captain America” is now the Masters champion.
Patrick Reed picked up the nickname with his stellar performance at the last Ryder
Cup. At the 2018 Masters, the 27-year-old Texan held a 54-hole lead with three
shots going into Sunday. Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler all tried
to come after him. But Reed never flinched and finished with a one-shot victory at
Augusta National, writes Louie Chan.

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A lot was made on the
Sunday’s round about the
Reed-McIlroy matchup
and their last Ryder
Cup showdown

AFP/Getty Images

Patrick Reed is
presented with the green
jacket by Sergio Garcia
during the green jacket
ceremony after winning
the 2018 Masters

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HK GOLFER・MAY 2018

P

atrick Reed’s victory marked
his first-ever Major win and
made him the ninth firsttime major winner in the last
10 Majors. His victory burnt
down all the narratives that
had been established coming into the weekend:
Tiger back in the Masters field for the first
time in three years, Rory McIlroy going for a
career Grand Slam, Spieth trying to get over
the 12th-hole-shaped monkey on his back, and
Justin Thomas looking to solidify the run he
started last summer with his own green jacket.
Instead, Reed just showed up at Augusta
on Thursday, shot a 69. Then followed up
with a 66 on Friday and a 67 on Saturday to
give him the 54-hole lead and put him three
shots ahead going into Sunday’s round. And
he wasn’t done there.
Spieth played majestically on Sunday, tying
the final-round course record at the Masters
with a 64. He went 5-under through the first
nine holes, which led to some TV broadcasters
begin signaling the 62-watch alarms. And
then Spieth followed that up with some truly
special holes on the back nine: a birdie on
12 followed by an astonishing birdie putt at
16. His tee shot on the 18th clipped the last
branch in his way, dropping his ball some 267
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The golden young generation of
American golfers - Justin Thomas,
Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth

yards from the green. His 8-foot par putt for
a record-breaking 63 narrowly missed on the
right. Spieth put up the most unlikely fight
and was on the verge of the greatest comeback
in the Masters history. He started nine shots
behind going into the final round and was
inches away on two shots from a chance at
another green jacket.
But Reed just held on all day long, When
the roars for Spieth sounded around Augusta,
Reed was listening. As Spieth crept up the
leaderboard, drawing nearer and nearer
to where Reed sat for much of the day at
14-under, Reed held steady. He found a way
out of every jam - each of Reed’s three bogeys
on the day was followed up by a birdie within
the next two holes - and every errant shot he
hit was quickly remedied. He finished the day
with a 71, his only round of the weekend not
in the 60s, but it was exactly enough.
A lot was made before (and during)
Sunday’s round about the Reed-McIlroy
matchup and their last Ryder Cup showdown.
But Augusta National proved to be a much
tougher opponent than anyone Reed could
have faced head-to-head on Sunday. He started
the day with a three-shot lead, but bogeyed the
opening hole, seemingly giving his opponents
a chance. He’d go on to finish the front nine

Rickie Fowler acknowledges
patrons of Augusta National
during the final round
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HK GOLFER・MAY 2018

at even par, but with the surging Spieth and a
quietly resilient Fowler in front of him.
McIlroy, meanwhile, will have to wait
another year for a shot at the career Grand
Slam. Trailing by three shots to start the final
round, he closed to within one shot after two
holes. That was as close as he came. McIlroy’s
putter betrayed him, and he was never a factor
on the back nine. He closed with a 74 and tied
for fifth.
When Reed bogeyed hole 11, it looked
like a prime opportunity for Spieth to make
his move. But sure enough, right after the
window opened, Reed slammed it shut again
with birdies on hole 12 and 14. Each time
Reed’s competitors thought they’d found a
way in, he locked it down.
Reed walked up to the 18th green while
echoes of cheers for Fowler - who’d birdied
to get within one of Reed - still seemed to
ring. Fowler holed an 8-foot birdie putt on
the final hole for a 67. He had to settle for his
third runner-up finish in a Major. He left the
scoring cabin when Reed two-putted for par
down the slippery slope on the 18th green and
waited for a chance to greet Reed.
‘‘Glad I at least made the last one, make
him earn it,’’ Fowler said with a grin.
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Masters champions Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player
and Tom Watson playing the Par-3 Contest

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A scoreboard is seen as Patrick
Reed plays the fourth green during
the final round of the 2018 Masters

Reed’s reception at the 18th green seemed
to be just a little less warm, fitting of his place
among his fellow young Americans. Currently
the holders of all four major tournaments are
Americans aged 27 and under. Starting with
Brooks Koepka’s win at the U.S. Open, then
Spieth’s victory at the Open Championship,
followed by Thomas’s takeover at the PGA
Championship. The young golfers on the
PGA Tour are all vying for golf superstardom.
Sunday proved to be Reed’s day of reckoning,
as he firmly demonstrated that nothing
scares him, even being a final-round leader
at Augusta National. He sure isn’t the most
popular man on the tour, but he proved on
Sunday he should be one of the most feared.
“A lot of people, for a long time, maybe don’t
say his name as often as they should. That’s
what I think,” Justine, Reed’s wife, was saying
shortly after her husband completed his win.
“I’ve always thought he’s a great player. That’s
what he did today. He showed his true colors.”
“I walked up to the first tee and had a really
welcoming cheer, but then when Rory walked
up to the tee, you know, his cheer was a little
louder,” said Reed. “But that’s another thing
that just kind of played into my hand. Not only
did it fuel my fire a little bit, but also, it just
takes the pressure off of me and adds it back to
him. You had a lot of the guys picking him to
win over me, and it’s just kind of one of those
things that the more chatter you have in your
ear and about expectations and everything,
the harder it is to play golf.”